Critical Illness Cover

Being diagnosed with a critical illness can disrupt your life at home and work.

Adding critical illness cover for an extra cost when you take out a life insurance policy with us will ensure you’re covered for a range of life-threatening conditions, as well as help you manage the financial consequences.

While life cover can only pay out if you die during the policy term, critical illness cover could pay out if you’re diagnosed with one of the conditions covered by the policy during its term.

Key features:

Critical illness cover can be added for an extra cost when you take out any of our life insurance policies.

It covers specified conditions.

Conditions covered include illnesses such as stroke, heart attack and certain types of cancer. We only cover the critical illnesses we define in our Guide to Critical Illness Cover and no others.

If you’re eligible for a critical illness payment, the payment will be made directly to you.

Your children will also be covered for no extra charge. For more details on children's critical illness cover please read your policy’s terms & conditions.

Please bear in mind that Critical Illness Cover isn’t the same as terminal illness cover. Terminal Illness Cover could only pay out if you're diagnosed with a terminal illness and have a life expectancy of 12 months or less. Critical Illness Cover may pay out whatever your life expectancy during the policy term.

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Direct Line general insurance policies are underwritten by U K Insurance Limited. Registered office: The Wharf, Neville Street, Leeds LS1 4AZ Registered in England and Wales No.1179980. U K Insurance Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. Registration number 202810. The Financial Services Register can be accessed through www.fca.org.uk.

Things you need to know about Over 50s life insurance:
Premiums stop after your 90th birthday but you still enjoy cover for the rest of your life. In the first year, if you die from natural causes we will refund any premiums, or if you die as a result of an accident, we will pay your cash sum. After the first year regardless of the cause of death we will pay your cash sum. Depending on how long you live, the total sum paid in premiums may be more than the cash sum payable on death. If you stop paying your premiums before the end of your policy your cover will stop 30 days after your missed premium and you won’t get anything back.
This isn’t a savings or investment product and has no cash value unless a valid claim is made. Inflation will reduce the buying power of your cash sum in the future.